A dozen seniors from Spanish Cove Retirement Community in Yukon pulled up to OK Runner on NW 23rd Street looking for the perfect fit, searching for the ideal sneaker to carry them through the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon senior event.
They rustled through boxes of ASICS and Brookses, New Balances and Hokas as the team at OK Runner explained the specs of each pair, from the width of the shoe to height of the sole to how it would respond to certain surfaces.
The residents from Spanish Cove will be among the 65-and-up runners to compete in the senior marathon at 8 a.m. Saturday. Having already logged 25 miles from Jan. 1 to race day, they’ll run or walk the final 1.2 miles Saturday to complete the 26.2-mile feat .
They’ll start at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and wind their way through downtown before crossing the finish line at Scissortail Park.
OK Runner, the longest-standing specialty running/walking store in the state at 29 years, made sure the group of seniors was well-equipped. Founded in Norman, OK Runner opened its new 23rd Street location last November.
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“You get some folks who, they haven’t moved for a while, and their life tends to really change because they’re doing what they never dreamed they’d really pursue at this stage of life,” said Mark Bravo, OK Runner’s community liaison and an Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon volunteer since Day 1.
Among the group of Spanish Cove seniors who visited OK Runner in February was Kathy Moffitt.
“This young lady’s one of the most storied runners in Oklahoma,” Bravo said.
Moffitt, 86 years young, wore a ring from her 2015 induction into the Oklahoma Long Distance Running Wall of Fame.
Moffitt didn’t start running until she was in her 40s, completing her first marathon in Dallas in 1980.
“Now I’ve done 19,” said Moffitt, who’s from Okarche.
Nineteen full marathons.
“She has more medals than anybody I’ve ever seen,” said her friend, Maggie Stump, who was also getting fitted for new sneakers.
Moffitt, who’s competed in the National Senior Games, still runs 5ks. Her last full marathon was the 2003 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon — the third annual Run to Remember.
Saturday will be her first time competing in the senior marathon.
Moffitt, wearing a fresh pair of sneakers alongside her Spanish Cove neighbors, will soon add another medal to her collection.
OKC Memorial Marathon
A highlighted look at this weekend's schedule:
SATURDAY: Memorial 5K (7 a.m.), Senior marathon (8 a.m.), Kids marathon (9 a.m.)
SUNDAY: Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay races start at 6:30 a.m.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How OK Runner readies seniors for 2024 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon
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